[Nutrition and mental diseases : Focus depressive disorders]

Abstract

Dietary interventions are currently being discussed as additional treatment options for mental disorders. The pathological mechanisms are not yet fully understood. It is hypothesized that certain nutrients and dietary pattern influence immune and inflammatory processes, the microbiome, the leptin-melanocortinergic axis and hypothalamic-pituitary axis, as well as neurotransmitters of the cholinergic, noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling cascades and neurotrophins. Observational studies have shown that traditional dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet have a protective effect on mental health. Supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids showed small to medium but significant effect sizes in meta-analyses from depression trials. The evidence with respect to the antidepressive effect of vitamin D supplementation is currently inconclusive.

Keywords: Depression; Dietary supplements; Pathophysiology; Polyunsaturated fatty acids; Vitamin D.